Toy automatic wing folding catapult plane



De 14, 1955 E. BRANDsTl-:TTER

TOY AUTOMATIC WING FOLDING CATAPULT PLANE Filed Nov. 29, 196s 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec- 14, 1965 E. BRANDsTETTr-:R 3,222,817

TOY AUTOMATIC WING FOLDING CATAPULT PLANE Filed Nov. 29, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 N VENTOR. fm1/Awa @wmf/Hrm Byy/ United States Patent O 3,222,817 TOY AUTOMATIC WING FOLDING CATAPULT PLANE Edward Brandstetter, 100-25 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, Long Island, N.Y. Filed Nov. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 326,893 20 Claims. (Cl. 46-80) This invention relates to toy airplanes of the type that are launched from a sling shot or other suitable catapult, and more particularly to a wing folding plane having wings that initially fold together to enable the plane to be more readily projected to a suitable height, andthen subsequently assume a position for gliding.

The primary purpose of the invention is to provide a knock-down, readily assembled toy plane that upon being catapulted into the air at high speed, the wings thereof will be forced fiat against the sides of the body to permit the plane to act as a rocket during its soaring phase, and that upon reaching the top of its ight, the wings thereof will automatically open to enable the plane to take olf on a long distance glide.

Another object of the invention is to provide a knockdown toy plane of the wing folding type composed of formed separate parts that tit into a small, flat package and which can readily be assembled manually and without the use of tools by the user.

The advantages f the invention, as well as the novel features thereof, will become apparent from a perusal of the following description, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a toy airplane embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom View of the portion of the plane to which the wings are connected;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section looking along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 2 and shows one wing in a folded condition to illustrate the manner in which the wings fold;

FIG. 5 is a perspective View Of one of the bearing members for pivotally supporting a wing connector;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of wing connector;

FIG. 7 is a vertical view showing how the connector of FIG. 6 is utilized to connect a wing to the body of a plane;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing another form of wing connector;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 7 and 8 and shows a further form of wing connector;

FIGS. l0, 11 and 12 are vertical sectional views illustrating several methods by which the bearing supports for the wing connectors may be provided in the plane body;

FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 are vertical sectional views illustrating different methods of hingedly supporting the wing connectors on the plane body; and

FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the manner in which the wings and plane body may be integrally formed.

The toy plane shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings is constituted of a plurality of separate independent pieces that may be contained in a flat plastic bag approximately 31/2 X 91/2 in size and provided on one wall thereof with instructions for assembling and using the plane. The

, body of the plane is preferably made of a single piece of light wood weighted at its forward end by a metal clip 11 that forms the nose of the plane. The metal clip 11 may be composed of a short strip of suitable metal bent double so as to enclose the front end of the body 10 and be clinched into place on such end. In the region of the 3222,17 Patented Dec. 141, 1965 wings 12, 12, the body is provided with two longitudinally spaced slots 13, 14 into which are inserted the bearing supports or wing connector holders 15, 16, respectively. In the upper edge portion thereof above the slot 13, the body 10 is provided with an elongated slot 17 for receiving the canopy 18 which may be constituted of a thin plastic piece cut out to show the head of the flier within a canopy, as indicated. A similar slot 19 is provided in the upper edge portion of the body 10 adjacent to its rear end to receive the rudder 20. The rear end of the body 10 is also provided with a longitudinal slot 21 into which is longitudinally inserted the stablizer 22. Near the front of the body 10, the bottom edge thereof is provided with a launching notch 23 to enable the launching device, such as a rubber band, to be connected to the body 10. The bottom edge of the body 10 is further provided with two spaced positioning notches 24, 24 located between the slots 13, 14 and the purpose of which will hereinafter become more clear.

The bearing supports or wing connector holders 15 and 16 may both be constructed similarly to the support 16 shown in FIG. 5. The support or holder 16 is a small iiat plate which is made of any suitable light material such as plastic and which has parallel sides and a central portion 26 that extends through the slot 14 in the plane body. The slot 14 is of a size so that the holder 16 fits snugly therein and will remain in centered position therein. The two projecting ends of the holder 16 are provided with bearing recesses 27, each formed to receive with a snap action one of the two hinge pins 28 provided on the ends of each wing connector and by which the latter is pivotally mounted on the body 10. Instead of being constructed in the manner of bearing support 16, the bearing support 15 may, as shown, be provided with two closed holes 29 for receiving the associated hinge pins 28. Thus, in attaching a wing connector to the body 10, the front hinge pin 28 thereof is iirst slipped into a hole 29 of the bearing support 15, and then the rear hinge pin 28 of such connector is snapped into the bearing recess 27 of the rear bearing support 16. The bearing supports will thus support the wing connectors and the wings secured to the latter for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis on the body 10.

The hinge pins 28 of each wing connector are longitudinally aligned and project from the front and rear ends of the connector which comprises a plastic hinge plate 30 with which the hinge pins are integrally formed and which is provided with a longitudinally extending groove or slot 31 to receive the iner end of an associated wing 12. The wing receiving slot 31 is substantially equal to, or slightly narrower than the thickness of the wing 12, and the connector may be permanently secured to the wing by providing a suitable adhesive in the slot 31 when the wing and connector are assembled. The lower wall of the hinge plate 30 has integrally formed therewith a transverse bracket member 32 which cornes into engagement with a side surface of the body lll to position the wing carried by the connector at a given positive dihedral angle to obtain the iiight characteristics desired. The bracket members 32 of both wing connectors are yieldably maintained in engagement with the sides of the body 10 by means of an elastic member, such as the rubber band 33, which extends across the underside of the plane and is connected at its ends to the wing assemblies. It will be noted in FIGS. l and 4 of the drawings that the upper wall of each hinge plate 30 has integrally formed at the center thereof an outwardly projecting fiat arm 34 that rests on the upper surface of its associated wing 12 and is provided with an outer reduced end 35 that extends over an opening 36. The ends of the rubber band 33 extend through the wing openings 36 and are looped over the reduced ends 3S of arms 34 to yieldably maintain the bracket members 32 against the body and the wings 12 at the given dihedral angle. The extended portions of the band 33 are located in the transverse positioning notches 24, 24 provided in the lower edge of the body 10 to maintain the band properly positioned in the plane.

It will be understood from the foregoing, that when the plane is projected into the air in the usual fashion by the air of a rubber band connected in the launching notch 23, the pressure acting against the underside of the wings 12, 12 will cause them to fold upwardly against the sides of the body in the manner demonstrated by the right hand wing shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. In this folded condition of the wings they function as rudders and enable the plane to reach an altitude of about 75 feet. When the plane reaches the highest altitude the applied force is able to project it, the wings will be automatically snapped back into flying position by the pull of the rubber band 33 and the plane will then be off on a long distance glide.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 of the drawings lends itself to many changes without departure from the essential structural features thereof. For example, instead of providing the hinge plate with the particular form shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, it may have any form enabling it to be readily assembled with and securely connected to the inner ends of the wings. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the arm 34' may constitute the entire top wall of the hinge plate, and two spaced end members 37, 37 may constitute the bottom wall of such plate. The bottom wall members 37, 37 are preferably provided with upturned outer end flanges 38, 38 to provide means for readily and properly locating the inner end of the wing 12 between the arm 34' and the members 37, 37. The outer reduced end 35 of the arm 34 may also be bent so that when the wing is fully and properly inserted in the hinge plate such end 35 will pass through the wing aperture 36 and lock the wing in inserting position, as well as serving as an anchoring means for the elastic member 33. Instead of the transverse bracket member 32 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 4, the hinge plate shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is provided with a depending vertical plate 39 adapted to bear against the body 10 in parallel relation to hold the associated wing at the desired dihedral angle.

The wing connected shown in FIG. 8 is substantially similar to those connector provided in the embodiment of FIG. l and ditIers from the latter in the respect that the reduced end portion of the upper arm 34" is composed of an upturned root portion 40 rigid with the arm 34 and disposed above the inner end of the wing opening 36, and an end extension 41. The end parts or members 40, 41 are constituted of the same material as the arm 34 and are integrally formed but such material has been weakened at their juncture 42 so that such juncture effectively functions as a hinge. Normally the member 41 extends upwardly in alignment with the member 40, as is indicated in dotted outline in FIG. 8. When the wing is assembled, member 41 is folded down about the hinge line 42 until the opposed surfaces of the members 40 and 41 are engaged and the member 41 is inserted through the wing hole 36 to serve as an anchoring post for the elastic member 33.

In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the arm 34 and bracket member 32 of FIG. 1 are eliminated and are replaced by a single depending post 43 which is integral with the hinge plate 30 centrally of the lower wall of the latter. The post 43 is provided with an outwardly extending arm 44 for anchoring one end of the flexible member 33,

and an inwardly extending arm 45 for engagement with the body 10 to properly maintain the asociated wing 12 in gliding position. It is preferred that the arm 45 have a greater cross-sectional area than the arm 44 to provide adequate bearing surface for contact wtih the plane body 10.

Further, instead of inserting the wing connector holders 15 and 16 into slots in the plane body 10 as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, such members may be constructed to have a central portion 26' which is in the form of an inverted U so that it may be arranged in straddling relation on the plane body 100 as is shown in FIG. 10, or to have a central portion which is in the form of a rectangle 26" that may slide into position on the plane body 10 as shown in FIG. 11. It is preferred that the hanger type central portion or suport 26 and the rectangular type body portion or support 26" dene an area closely the same as the cross-sectional area of the plane body portion which they enclose in their mounted position. FIG. 12 illustrates that each connector holder may be integrally formed on the plane body by providing on such body 10 a pair of oppositely disposed thin projections provided with bearing recesses 27 of the type embodied in the holder 16 in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 13 to 15 show that the wing connector holders may be dispensed with by integrally forming the hinge plate of such connectors with a hanger type support 26 similar to that shown in FIG. 10 (note FIG. 13), or with a rectangular type support 26" similar to that shown in FIG. l1 (note FIG. 14), or with the material of the plane body 10 as shown in FIG. 15 of the drawings. The hinge plate 30 shown in each of FIGS. 13 to 15 has its upper wall provided with an inner extension 46 which is hingedly connected in any suitable manner to the supports 26', 26", or the plane body 10, so that the hinge plate 30' may be enabled to swing during the use of the plane to a position in which the wings are folded back to function as rudders during the ascent of the plane and to the position illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 15 in which the wings will be in glide position. In the form of hinge plate 30 shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the bracket members 32 thereof are provided with notches 47 in which are anchored the ends of the elastic member 33, thereby dispensing with the need of providing anchoring arms 34 on the upper walls of the hinge plate.

FIG. 16 of the drawings illustrates the manner in which the plane of this invention may be formed in one piece. The body 50 of the plane and the wings 51, 51 thereof may be made of one piece of suitable material, such as a known plastic material, or may be made of two sheets 52, 52 of plastic material or suitable cardboard adhered together to form the body 50 of the plane and each providing a wing 51, as shown in FIG. 16. Whether the plane body is composed of a single piece of material, or composed of two sheets 52, 52 of paperboard or plastic, the wings are hinged at 53 to the upper longitudinal edges of such plane body in any suitable manner as by cutting or otherwise weakening the paperboard or plastic, or by forming a hinge at the inner edges of the wings when the sheets or plane are formed. The wings have integrally formed or suitably connected thereto bracket members 54, 54 for engaging the sides of the body 50 to fix the wings 51, 51 at the desired dihedral angle. The wings are brought to such position by an elastic member 55 whose ends may be anchored to prong shaped portions of the type shown in FIGS. 13-15 and illustrated by the member 56 provided on the left hand bracket member 54, as viewed in FIG. 16, or to attachment members formed in the wings 51, 51, such as the attachment member 57 formed by making a suitable U-shaped cutout 58 in the material of the right hand wing 51, as viewed in FIG. 16.

.It will be understood that other modifications may be made of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A toy catapult airplane which when projected into the air automatically folds its wings upwardly to vertical position and at the top of such projection automatically unfolds its wings to gliding position, comprising an elongated body having sides, a pair of wings including a pair 'of Wing members, means at the inner ends of said wing members for connecting said wings to said body and enabling them to fold upwardly to a substantially vertical position, and depending means carried by said wings and movable toward said body beneath the lines of fold of said wings to support said wings at a given dihedral angle, and elastic means connected to apply to said wings at points outwardly of said lines of fold, a downward force sufiicient to maintain said depending means normally against the sides of said body to support said wings for gliding, and yieldable when the toy is projected into the air to permit the wings to fold upwardly to Vertical position and thereby to withdraw said depending means from the sides of said body.

2. A toy such as defined in claim 1 including anchoring means provided on said wings at said points, said elastic means being connected to said anchoring means.

3. A toy such as defined in claim 1 including anchoring means provided on said depending means at said points, said elastic means being connected to said anchoring means.

4. A toy such as defined in claim 1, in which said depending means comprise plate-like transverse members having upper edge portions connected to said wings and having side edge portions engageable with the sides of said body.

5. A toy such as defined in claim 4, in which said depending means have anchoring means provided on the outer side edge portions thereof, and in which said elastic means is connected to said anchoring means and extends under said body from yone anchoring means to the other.

6. A toy catapult airplane which when projected into the air automatically folds its wings upwardly to vertical position and at the top of such projection automatically unfolds its wings to gliding position, comprising an elongated body having sides, connector means on each side of said body, a pair of wings supported for pivotal movement at their inner ends by said body connector means, and including a pair of wing members, means pivotally connecting said wing members to said body connector means and enabling them and therefore said wings to fold upwardly to a substantially vertical position, and depending means carried by said wing connecting means and movable toward said body beneath the lines of fold of said wings to support said wing connecting means so as to hold said wings at a given dihedral angle, and elastic means connected to said Wing conecting means at points outwardly of said lines of fold to apply thereto a downward force sufficient to maintain said depending means normally against the sides of said body to support said wings for gliding, and yieldable when the toy is projected into the air to permit said wing connecting means and therefore said Wings to fold upwardly to vertical positions, and thereby to withdraw said depending means from the sides of said body.

7. A toy such as defined in claim 6, in which said body connector means comprises hinge supporting members mounted on said body, and said wing connecting means comprises hinge members provided on said wings and connected to said hinge supporting members.

8. A toy such as defined in claim 7, in which said hinge supporting members comprise two plates insertable transversely through longitudinally spaced slots in said body and each provided at its outer ends with hinge pin receiving openings, and in which said hinge members on said Wings comprise hinge pins insertable into the openings of said hinge supporting members.

9. A toy such as defined in claim 8, in which at least one of said openings in said plates on each side of said body is an open opening and formed to receive a hinge pin with a snap action.

10. A toy such as defined in claim 7, in which said body connector means comprises a supporting member mounted on said body, and in which said hinge supporting members are carried by said supporting member.

11. A toy such as dened in claim 6, in which said body connector means comprises a supporting member mounted on said body and hinge means integral with said supporting member and said wing connecting means.

12. A toy such as defined in claim 6, in which said body connector means comprises hinge means integrally connected with said wing connecting means and said body.

13. A toy such as defined in claim 6, in which said wing connecting means each comprise upper and lower plate members extending outwardly from said line of fold of its associated wing and forming a supporting socket for receiving the inner end of the associated wing member.

14. A toy such as defined in claim 13, in which one of said depending members is carried by the lower plate member of said wing connecting means.

15. A toy such as defined in claim 13 in which said upper plate is provided with an outward extension eX- tending outwardly over the upper surface of the wing member and provided at its outer end with anchoring means for said elastic means, said wing member being provided with an opening in the area of said anchoring means.

16. A toy such as defined in claim 1S in which said anchoring means is insertable through said wing member opening to enable attachment of said securing means thereto on the underside of the Wing.

17. A toy such as defined in claim 1, in which said body and said wing members are made from a single piece of material, said connecting means being integral with said body and said wing members.

18. A toy such as defined in claim 1, in which said body and said wings are constituted of two sheets of material adhered together in the region of said body and weakened along the upper edges of said body to provide said connecting means.

19. A toy catapult airplane which when projected into the air automatically folds at least one of its wings upwardly to vertical position and at the top of such projection automatically unfolds such folded wings to gliding position, comprising an elongated body, a pair of wings including a pair of wing members, means at the inner ends of said wing members for connecting said wings to said body and enabling at least one of said Wings to fold upwardly to a substantially Vertical position, means depending from the inner end of said foldable wing and movable toward said body beneath the line of fold of said foldable Wing to support said foldable wing at a given dihedral angle, and anchoring means positioned on said foldable wing at a point spaced outwardly from the line of fold of said foldable wing, and elastic means connected to said anchoring means to apply to said foldable wing at such point outwardly of said line of fold, a downward force sufficient to maintain said depending means normally against the side 4of said body to support said wing foldable for gliding, and yieldable when the toy is projected into the air to permit the foldable wing to fold upwardly to vertical position and thereby to withdraw said depending means from the side of said body.

20. A toy airplane as defined in claim 19, in which said anchoring means is located beneath said foldable wing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,228,697 l/l941 Emmick 46-80 X 2,268,487 12/1941 Jacobs 46-80 2,417,267 3/1947 POI/ter 46-80 FOREIGN PATENTS 366,733 2/1932 Great Britain. 458,228 7/ 195 0 Italy.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TOY CATAPULT AIRPLANE WHICH WHEN PROJECTED INTO THE AIR AUTOMATICALLY FOLDS ITS WINGS UPWARDLY TO VERTICAL POSITION AND AT THE TOP OF SUCH PROJECTION AUTOMATICALLY UNFOLDS ITS WINGS TO GLIDING POSITION, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY HAVING SIDES, A PAIR OF WINGS INCLUDING A PAIR OF WING MEMBERS, MEANS AT THE INNER ENDS OF SAID WING MEMBERS FOR CONNECTING SAID WINGS TO SAID BODY AND ENABLING THEM TO FOLD UPWARDLY TO A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION, AND DEPENDING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID WINGS AND MOVABLE TOWARD SAID BODY BENEATH THE LINES OF FOLD OF SAID WINGS TO SUPPORT SAID WINGS AT A GIVEN DIHEDRAL ANGLE, AND ELASTIC MEANS CONNECTED TO APPLY TO SAID WINGS AT POINTS OUTWARDLY OF SAID LINES OF FOLD, A DOWNWARD FORCE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN SAID DEPENDING MEANS NORMALLY AGAINST THE SIDES OF SAID BODY TO SUPPORT SAID WINGS FOR GLIDING, AND YIELDABLE WHEN THE TOY IS PROJECTED INTO THE AIR TO PERMIT THE WINGS TO FOLD UPWARDLY TO VERTICAL POSITION AND THEREBY TO WITHDRAW SAID DEPENDING MEANS FROM THE SIDES OF SAID BODY. 